Instrument for measuring coagulation parameters and method of use
Patent 4777141 Issued on October 11, 1988. Estimated Expiration Date: 
November 19, 2005. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.
November 19, 2005. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.Patent ReferencesDisposable multi-cuvette rotor Method and system for measuring blood coagulation time Cuvette assembly Rotatable cuvette array Automatic analyzing apparatus Patent #: 4558946 InventorsAssigneeApplicationNo. 06/799675 filed on 11/19/1985US Classes:436/69, CLOTTING OR CLOTTING FACTOR LEVEL TESTS422/72, Including centrifuge422/73, With coagulometer for agglutination, clotting, or prothrombin, or for particle (e.g., cell, etc.) counting, or volume or characteristics determination436/165, With claimed manipulation of container to effect reaction or use of container of claimed optical structure436/177, Liberation or purification of sample or separation of material from a sample (e.g., filtering, centrifuging, etc.)436/45, Utilizing a centrifuge or compartmented rotor436/909NEPHELOMETRYExaminersPrimary: Marcus, Michael S.Assistant: Kummert, Lynn M. Attorney, Agent or FirmInternational ClassesG01N 33/49 (20060101)G01N 21/82 (20060101) G01N 21/77 (20060101) G01N 21/03 (20060101) G01N 21/47 (20060101) G01N 21/51 (20060101) G01N 21/07 (20060101) Foreign Application Priority Data1984-11-27 ITClaimsWe claim:1. A method for measuring the predisposition of a plasma sample to clot comprising the steps: (a) providing a rotor with multiple radially-extending cuvettes, each cuvette having an inner chamber and an outer chamber separated by a partial dam and having a radially-exterior basewall; the outer chamber being provided with two orthogonalwindows, one of which is located on the exterior basewall of the rotor; (b) placing a plasma sample into one of the chambers of a cuvette, (c) placing a coagulation reagent into the other chamber of the same cuvette, (d) transferring the material in the inner chamber over the partial dam to the outer chamber to mix the components and initiate a coagulation reaction, (e) directing a light beam into the outer chamber through one of the orthogonal windows, (f) detecting light emerging from the other of the orthogonal windows over a plurality of points of time as a measure of the light scattered by the mixture of components at each point of time, (g) measuring the light scattered by passing the light beam through a reference substance at each point of time, (h) comparing at each point of time the light scattered by the mixture of components and by the reference substance to determine at each point of time a comparative value of light scatter, and (i) determining from the plurality of comparative values of light scatter a clotting time for the plasma sample. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma sample is placed in the outer chamber of a cuvette. 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the light beam is monochromatic and in the red region of the spectrum. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining step (i) further comprises determining from the change in comparative light scatter between an initial point of time and a final point of time the amount of fibrin formed by reaction between theplasma sample and the coagulation reagent. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein multiple plasma samples are each placed in the outer chamber of cuvettes in the same rotor. 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the reference substance is an emulsion present in the outer chamber of a cuvette into which plasma sample and coagulation reagent are not placed. 7. The method of claim 5 wherein an identical coagulation reagent is placed into the inner chamber of each cuvette into whose outer chamber a plasma sample is placed. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the transferring step (d) comparing step (h) and determining step (i) are performed concurrently for each cuvette. 9. The method of claim 7 wherein the light beam in monochromatic and in the red region of the spectrum. 10. A method for measuring the predisposition of a plasma sample to clot comprising the steps: (a) providing a rotor with multiple radially-extending cuvettes, each cuvette having an inner chamber and an outer chamber separated by a partial dam and having a radially-exterior basewall; the outer chamber being provided with two orthogonalwindows, one of which is located on the exterior basewall of the rotor; (b) placing a plasma sample into one of the chambers of a cuvette, (c) placing a coagulation reagent into the other chamber of the same cuvette, (d) transferring the material in the inner chamber over the partial dam to the outer chamber to mix the components and initiate a coagulation reaction, (e) directing a light beam into the outer chamber through one of the orthogonal windows, (f) detecting light emerging from the other of the orthogonal windows over a plurality of points of time as a measure of the light scattered by the mixture of components at each point of time, (g) measuring the light scattered by passing the light beam through a reference substance which is a stable emulsion at each point of time, (h) comparing at each point of time the light scattered by the mixture of components and by the reference substance to determine at each point of time a comparative value of light scatter, and (i) determining from the plurality of comparative values of light scatter a clotting time for the plasma sample. 11. A method according to claim 10, characterized in that said emulsion is an emulsion of silicone oil in water. 12. A method for measuring the predisposition of a plasma sample to clot comprising the steps: (a) providing a rotor with multiple radially-extending cuvettes, each cuvette having an inner chamber and an outer chamber separated by a partial dam and having a radially-exterior basewall; the outer chamber being provided with two orthogonalwindows, one of which is located on the exterior basewall of the rotor, (b) placing multiple plasma samples each into the outer chamber of a cuvette, (c1) placing an identical coagulation activating reagent into the inner chamber of each cuvette into which a plasma sample is placed, (d1) transferring the coagulation activating reagent in the inner chamber over the partial dam to the outer chamber to mix the components in multiple outer chambers, (c2) placing an identical coagulation initiating reagent into the inner chamber of each cuvette in which components have been mixed in the outer chamber, (d2) transferring the coagulation initiating reagent in the inner chamber over the partial dam to initiate a coagulation reaction in multiple outer chambers, (e) directing a light beam into each outer chamber in which a coagulation reaction is occurring through one of the orthogonal windows, (f) detecting light emerging from the other of the orthogonal windows over a plurality of points of time as a measure of the light scattered by the mixture of components in an outer chamber in which a coagulation reaction is occurring at eachpoint of time, (g) measuring the light scattered by passing the light beam through a reference substance at each point of time, (h) comparing at each point of time the light scattered by the mixture of components in an outer chamber in which a coagulation reaction is occurring and by the reference substance to determine at each point of time a comparative value of lightscatter, and (i) determining from the plurality of comparative values of light scatter a clotting time for each plasma sample. 13. The method of claim 12 wherein a delay occurs between the transferring step (d1) and the transferring step (d2) sufficiently long for the activating reagent to activate each plasma sample for the coagulation reaction subsequently initiatedby the coagulation initiating reagent. 14. A method for measuring the predisposition of a plasma sample to clot comprising the steps: (a) providing a rotor with multiple radially-extending cuvettes, each cuvette having an inner chamber and an outer chamber separated by a partial dam and having a radially-exterior basewall; the outer chamber being provided with two orthogonalwindows, one of which is located on the exterior basewall of the rotor, (b) placing multiple plasma samples each into the outer chamber of a cuvette, (c) placing an identical coagulation reagent into the inner chamber of each cuvette into which a plasma sample is placed, (d) transferring the material in the inner chamber over the partial dam to the outer chamber to mix the components and initiate a coagulation reaction in multiple outer chambers by: (d1) accelerating the rotor to transfer the coagulation reagent over each partial dam into an outer chamber, (d2) decelerating the rotor, and (d3) reaccelerating the rotor to complete the simultaneous mixing of each plasma sample with coagulation reagent, (e) directing a light beam into each outer chamber in which a coagulation reaction is occurring through one of the orthogonal windows, (f) detecting light emerging from the other of the orthogonal windows over a plurality of points of time as a measure of the light scattered by the mixture of components in an outer chamber in which a coagulation reaction is occurring at eachpoint of time, (g) measuring the light scattered by passing the light beam through a reference substance at each point of time, (h) comparing at each point of time the light scattered by the mixture of components in an outer chamber in which a coagulation reaction is occurring and by the reference substance to determine at each point of time a comparative value of lightscatter, and (i) determining from the plurality of comparative values of light scatter a clotting time for each plasma sample. Other References
Field of SearchIncluding centrifuge |
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